Improvement in furnaces tor steam and other enginery



C. B. GREGORY. 'FURNAGE FOR STEAM AND OTHER BNGINE'RY. No. 89,986.

Patented May 11, 1869.

tnitfefl gratie-5 eme ema.

c. B. GREGORY, 0E BEVERLY, NEW JERSEY.

Letters Patent No. 89,986, dated Ma/y 11, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN `LEURNACIES FOR STEAM ANE OTHER ENG-INERY. ws-

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it4 known that I, C. B. GREGORY, of Beverly, county of Burlington, and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improved Furnace, or Fire-Place; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

Myinvention consists of certain improvements, fully described hereafter, in the iire-place for which Letters .Patent were granted to me on the 3d day of March, A. D. 1868.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and apply my invention, I will new proceed to describe `its construction and operation, reference being had to Figure 8, a perspective view of one side of the fire-r brick wall ofthe furnace; and

Figure 9, aview of part of my invention, as applied to a cylindrical `fire-pot.

Similar letters refer to similarnarts throughout the several views.

Referring to igs. 1`, 2, 3, 4, and 5- A is the front wall,

B, the base,

O, the rear wall, aud

D D, the side walls ofthe furnace.

The grate-bars al are of the usual construction, and

rest upon bearers a', at the opposite ends of the fur nace; and in the front wall A, below the grate, is the usual opening and ash-door b, and above the grate an opening, covered by the re-door b', fig. 2.

Extending along both -sides andthe back of the furnace, on a level with the top of the grate-bars a, is a,

ledge, on which rest the fire-clay Walls F F and G of the fire-place c.

In each of the side walls of the furnace, beneath the. fire-clay walls F, is a longitudinal channel, e, to which air is supplied through'an opening or openings in the A front wall A; 'and each of these channels -communicates with a narrow passage, or chamber, j, which intervenes between the re-clay walls andside walls D.' The walls F are built up of ire-briolis g', vbevelledon their inner and upper edges, so as to form grooves h, as best observed in g. 5, for a purpose described hcreafter; and in the cement between the bricks is a number of small openings, i, which form a communication between the chambers f f andinterior of the fire-place c. A valve, or door, 1', is hinged-to each of the side Walls of the furnace, in such a position that it shall rest upon the top of the adjacent wall F, and thus close the-:upl-

'per end ofthe chamber f. (See iig. 5.) i

municate with the channels e, or with the spaces above these channels, at the rear of the lire-brick walls. (See figs. 2 and 3.)

When a fire is ignited on the grate-bars a, cold air enters the channels e e, and steam is forced through the branch-pipes m, a hlm of combined steam and air passing upward into each ofthe narrow chambers f, and thence through the perforations fi of the re-clay walls, in a condition best adapted to aid in the combustion of the gases which rise from the burning fuel.

At the 'same time, jets of steam are projected from the nozzles Z into the fire-place; and as these nozzles are arranged at points opposite, or nearly opposite to each other, as best observed in fig. 4, the jets, meet-1 in'g infthe centre, will cause an agitation and thorough mixing of the gases with the air and steam, and insure their rapid and complete combustion.

In forcing the jets of steam from the nozzles i", a partial vacuum will be produced in the spaces 7c beneath the plate H, which will cause the valve j to rise slightly, and admit an additional supply of air, or air and steam, from the chambers f into the fire-place.

In iigs. 6, 7, and 8, is shown a somewhat different construction of fire-clay walls, the chambers f f beings dispensed with, and the air, or air and steam from the channels e, caused to travel through longitudinal and vertical grooves fr, formed on the rear sides of the ire-` clay walls. From these grooves the air passes through perforations t, or beneath the valves jj, into the replace, as in the first instance. j

By the employment of these grooves, or channels fr, the air', or combined air and steam is caused to travel, in a eircuitous course, in much the same manner as when passed through a mass of gravel, or other similar granulated material, as described in my patent of March 3, 1868, and I have found by experiment, that 'the result obtained is the same, namely, a iire` of iutense and uniform heat.

It should be understood, however, that,although 1 lmyself to forming these grooves in tire-clay only, as in some instances Where there is to be agreat number of grooves of diiferent forms, and arranged at different angles, castfiron can be economically,substituted for the fire-clay.

' It will be -evident that this arrangement of external grooves can also be advantageously applied to cylindrical fire-pots, as illustrated in fig. 9 of the drawing.

The principal objection to the employment of per-4 forated fire-pots, or walls, has been the liability of the holes to become stopped, or choked, either by dust or by the vtrifying 0f the inner` surfaces ofthe walls, when exposed to great heat.

These objections I have entirely overcome, by, in the first place, forcing steam through the perfor-ations, and, secondly, by forming grooves h on the-inner surfaces of the Walls. The steam serves the twofold purpose of preventing the accumulation of dust in the per forations, and of preventing the destruction ofthe bricks by heat, while the `grooves h break the continuity of the surfaces which are exposed to the fire, and prevent the running down ofvitried material, and consequent choking of the holes.

I am aware that jets of steam have been before introduced into furnaces, to aid combustion, but these jets are generally so directed as to drive the gases to Ward the chimney, before they have been thoroughly consumed. This objection is obviated in my invention, by so arranging the nozzles l', (whatever may be their angle,) that their jets shall be directed toward each other, and toward the centre of the fire-place.

I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The arrangement of channels and perforations in the walls of a fire-place, substantially as described.

2. The arrangement, substantially as described, of steam-pipes and nozzles, by which jets of Steam are directed on to the fire, in the course described, for the purpose specified.

3. In combination with the subject-matter of the second claim, the valves j above the air-passages, for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof, I have signedl my name to this specitication, in the presence of tivo subscribing Witmesses.

C. B GREGORY.

Witnesses:

JOHN WHITE, HARRY SMITH. 

